Chapter 57
Before long, the time had come, and the Third Prince's birthday banquet began at the auspicious time calculated by the Imperial Observatory.
In the Qichen Hall, hundreds of seats were arranged according to etiquette. The Third Prince, dressed in a black robe with red python patterns and a golden crown binding his hair, sat in the seat of honor. He glanced down, a perfectly measured smile playing on his lips, but his eyes held an ambition that he could not conceal.
The third prince was flanked by members of the royal family and high-ranking officials of the court, each dressed in a python robe and jade belt, exuding an extraordinary air.
However, the throne at the head of the hall was empty, with only a jade table placed in front of it, which was merely a symbolic arrangement.
Everyone knows that the King of Zhuque Kingdom has been seriously ill for a long time and is now unable to even get out of bed, let alone hold a banquet. Today's grand feast is destined to be the Third Prince's show.
For a time, the Qichen Hall was filled with the clinking of glasses, the interweaving of various languages, and the dazzling display of exotic costumes. As the banquet reached its climax, the music paused, and it was time to serve the dishes.
It is said that every time the ruler of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom held a birthday banquet, he would invite the common people to contribute dishes, in order to express his joy with the people. However, as time went by, this activity gradually lost its original purpose.
Nowadays, only renowned chefs from various countries can present dishes before the emperor; a truly unknown person like Mu Yulu would never have the chance to appear before him.
Especially since she is a woman.
Therefore, when she gracefully walked in from the palace gate, led by the palace servants, everyone's gazes, whether surprised or suspicious, were drawn to her.
It was unclear what dishes Mu Yulu had presented, but the enormous jade tray was too heavy for her to carry alone; it required the combined efforts of three palace maids.
The contents of the dish were gently covered with a piece of plain brocade. The envoys from various countries stopped talking and their gazes swept over the jade tray with either curiosity or scrutiny.
The Third Prince rested his chin on one hand, his gaze lingering on Mu Yulu for a moment. He seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly smiled slightly, a hint of probing appearing in his eyes.
Mu Yulu walked into the hall under everyone's gaze, then gracefully bowed, "This commoner, Mu Yulu, congratulates Your Highness on your birthday and presents a dish of beautiful mountains and rivers as a birthday gift for Your Highness and to celebrate the Vermilion Bird."
As soon as the words were spoken, the brocade was unveiled, and the whispers in the hall suddenly stopped as countless eyes focused on the jade plate.
What was placed on the plate was actually an exquisite "painting".
Thin slices of emerald cucumber are layered, like distant mountains shrouded in mist; slices of translucent white lotus root are skillfully cut into shapes, forming the winding territory of the Vermilion Bird; on top are vermilion fruits, symbolizing city walls and passes; in addition, there is clear and transparent agar jelly, as if rivers and lakes are flowing through it.
In the center of this colorful and magnificent landscape painting, there is a dish of chicken soup stewed with tofu, steaming hot. Everyone can see that it symbolizes Jinshuang Lake, the largest lake in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.
"What a magnificent landscape painting!" The Third Prince shifted his gaze from the jade tray to Mu Yulu. "With such ingenuity, she is truly a remarkable person."
As soon as the Third Prince said this, the praise from the crowd spread rapidly like ripples, but Mu Yulu frowned imperceptibly.
Although the Third Prince was praising her, she felt uncomfortable and offended.
What the Third Prince said next made her even more certain that the feeling of being offended earlier was not her imagination: "Miss Mu's hands are so fair and delicate, they should be playing the zither and flute, how could they be stained with oil on the kitchen stove?"
As he spoke, he stretched out a hand, indicating that Mu Yulu should come forward.
His frivolous words in public are no different from publicly harassing her.
Mu Yulu suppressed the nausea rising in her throat, her nails already digging into her palms, but she had to maintain a respectful demeanor. She lowered her head even further, but did not take a single step forward: "Your Highness is too kind. This humble woman is unsophisticated and only knows these cooking skills."
The third prince raised an eyebrow, his eyes slightly drunk, and brazenly sized up the woman standing below with her head bowed.
"Come forward, Your Highness. I will reward you handsomely." His tone carried an undeniable threat.
Mu Yulu remained frozen in place, refusing to step forward. The Third Prince frowned, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly became somewhat tense.
The two remained locked in a stalemate, and just as the tension within the hall was about to snap, the eunuch's voice rang out from outside: "The Prince of Dingyuan has arrived!"
Prince Dingyuan.
This was the title bestowed upon Mu Qinhan by the late emperor.
Outside the wide-open gate, a tall and imposing figure stepped slowly into the hall against the backdrop of the night and the lights of the corridor, his black robe with gold thread rippling slightly as he walked.
Suddenly a strong wind blew up, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker and the light and shadow to dance wildly. His face appeared even more cold and profound amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
The visitor was none other than the young regent Mu Qinhan, who wielded immense power in the court.
His arrival instantly shattered the suffocating oppression that had just been there. When he reached Mu Yulu's side, Mu Qinhan paused slightly, then raised his head and glanced at the Third Prince, who was in the superior position.
Although his gaze was calm, it inexplicably sent chills down people's spines, and the ministers sitting on either side of the Third Prince all lowered their heads.
Ignoring the Third Prince's suddenly darkened expression, and seemingly not seeing his hand reaching out to Mu Yulu from mid-air, Mu Qinhan strode straight towards the most prestigious position in the entire palace, the throne that symbolized royal power.
The Third Prince's face instantly turned bright red. He stood up abruptly and squeezed out a sentence with obvious warning through gritted teeth: "That is Father Emperor's throne. Please, Uncle, move over and take the seat of a Prince of the First Rank."
He deliberately emphasized the words "father" and "prince" in an attempt to remind Mu Qinhan of the boundaries of his identity.
Mu Qinhan ignored his warning, walked directly to the throne, then slowly turned around and looked down at the Third Prince, whose face was ashen.
The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. Only the occasional crackling of the candlelight could be heard.
Mu Qinhan's lips curled into a very faint smile as he said, "His Majesty is unwell and unable to attend today. I have been regent for many years; who in this hall is more worthy to sit in this position than I?"
He paused, his voice rising slightly, tinged with sarcasm: "If even I cannot sit in this position, then Your Highness, you are even less likely to be able to sit here."
The moment he finished speaking, Mu Qinhan sat down, lifting his robe.
The figure in black stood in stark contrast to the golden dragon throne, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire hall.
The Third Prince stood frozen in place, his face turning from red to white, then from white to green. He truly hadn't expected Mu Qinhan to be so domineering, completely disregarding the dignity of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, and humiliating him in front of so many foreign envoys.
However, something even more humiliating was yet to come. After settling into his dragon throne, Mu Qinhan, in the tone of an uncle reprimanding his nephew, directly reprimanded the Third Prince in the main hall: "Miss Mu is here today to present dishes, not to perform. Your words and actions just now were inappropriate."
The Third Prince sneered upon hearing this, and glanced at Mu Yulu with a sharp look.
I had long heard that Mu Qinhan had made quite a few jokes in the capital because of this woman, and his reckless behavior today was indeed for her sake.
He returned to the table, raised his cup, and toasted Mu Yulu below the steps: "Uncle is right. I have offended you today. I will offer you a toast as an apology. How about it?"
His words were so arrogant that Mu Yulu felt a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, the next second a crisp sound came from the hall, as the Third Prince slammed the cup in his hand to the ground.
As the sound of shattering cups rang out, more than a dozen figures instantly emerged from the four corners of the hall, behind the screens, and even from among the standing crowd.
They were all dressed in the same clothes as the palace attendants, but their movements were as fast as ghosts; some held long swords, while others held short daggers.
Their target was clear: the chilling blades of their swords were all aimed at Mu Qinhan, who sat high on the throne.
However, Mu Qinhan remained calm, showing no sign of panic, and continued to sit upright on his throne. Having dared to come to Qichen Palace today, how could he have come unprepared? With a wave of his hand, a group of men, swords drawn, stormed into the palace.
As the two sides clashed, the once peaceful and joyous hall instantly transformed into a terrifying battlefield.
The envoys fled in panic, the maids screamed, tables and chairs were overturned, delicacies were spilled, and there was a scene of utter chaos.
Amidst the chaos, a clear and melodious sword cry rang out from the crowd, instantly drowning out all the noise.
This sword cry clearly carried the profound inner strength of its master.
As the sound of a sword rang out, a figure as swift as a startled swan flew in from outside the hall, quickly passing through the chaotic fleeing crowd. With a light touch of the toes on the edge of an overturned table, the figure had already spanned half of the hall, the long sword in hand pointing straight at the Third Prince's face.
Mu Yulu originally intended to leave with the crowd, but upon seeing the newcomer, she involuntarily stopped.
The swordsman who came to assassinate the Third Prince had unparalleled lightness skills. His movements were graceful and unpretentious. Who else could it be but San Zhou Jinse?
Seeing the scene before her, Mu Yulu instantly recalled what Sanzhou Jinse had said to her last night.
Upon hearing that she was to enter the palace to present dishes that evening, he immediately advised her to leave as soon as possible, because he had known all along that such a change would occur that night.
Mu Yulu simply couldn't understand why he wanted to assassinate the Third Prince. The discord between Mu Qinhan and the Third Prince was already an open secret; tonight's events were clearly a trap set by the Third Prince to lure Mu Qinhan into a trap, and San Zhou Jinse's attack on the Third Prince at this crucial moment…
Could it be that he has been in cahoots with Mu Qinhan all along?
Mu Yulu felt like her head was about to explode.
The next second, something even more unbelievable happened.
Just as the tip of Sanzhou Jinse's sword was about to reach the Third Prince's face, another figure leaped down from the beam of the main hall. He stood in front of the Third Prince, wielding his sword horizontally to deflect all of Sanzhou Jinse's sword strike.
The man was dressed in all black, with his long hair tied up high. Although he was wearing a mask, Mu Yulu recognized him as Feng Wentang at a glance based on his figure.
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